John 14:6-7
Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life and the Only Way to God
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 3:16
God So LOVES the World that He Gave His Only Son to Us
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 18:33-37
Everyone on the Side of Truth Listens to Jesus
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Matthew 9:9-13
Jesus Came for Sinners
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
There are numerous religions...All religions are not true, but most religions have truths in them...And Truth is very important in a religion...All religions are not the same...One Particular Character and One Person makes Christianity much different than all the other religions...Jesus made statements about Truth, tolerance, forgiveness, love, mercy, helping others, and many other teachings...And as part of the forgiveness teaching, He went around forgiving others who had sinned...And those who had sinned and He had forgiven, were in a sense taken care of by Him (since He forgave them- and thus His forgiveness was by His Grace and unearned by the party who had sinned)...He taught many different people about His Way, His Truth, and His Life...
He specifically taught His Twelve Disciples about Himself (through His teachings and actions) and also the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...He often went around forgiving people, so He saw the sins in those He forgave...If one thinks that Jesus was intolerant, it is based on who He was teaching, and how He helped others...
When Jesus told His Disciples that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one comes to God except through Him, He was making a strong and powerful statement about the other religions around the world...By saying this particular statement that no one comes to God except through Him leaves one no choice but to believe that only Christianity and followers of Jesus are the one true religion, if He and this statement is correct...Jesus is the Way to God, He is the Only Way...He is our Savior from our sins...How can this not be, if Jesus is divine and was resurrected from the dead on the third day?...Those who say that Jesus is tolerant, do not study this particular teaching...This statement, about He is the Only Way to God, shows His complete exclusivity and His complete uniqueness...This statement shows us that Truth is exclusive and that Truth is a Person...This statement shows an intolerance of the other religions, because Jesus explains that He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life and that He is the Only Way to God...He even adds that "In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth...Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me."...These are astounding statements about Truth, and how one views what is Truth...
Yet, Jesus grew up with and around the religion of Judaism...And Jesus talked and taught about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in all of His teachings...And because God sent Jesus and He is the Son of God, Jesus somehow is part of the Judaism religion...If Jesus is who He says He is and is from God and the Son of God, then one might expect Him to be the Absolute Truth and that everyone on the side of Truth would listen to Him...
And then when Jesus told His eleven disciples to go to Galilee, and to the mountain where He wanted to meet them, He gave His Disciples the Great Commission about the gospel and His Teachings...In Galilee when they saw Him after His death, they worshiped Him; but some doubted...Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me...Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I AM with you always, to the very end of the age."...By making this statement we clearly see that Jesus wanted His Disciples to teach others all they knew not only about God, but about Him, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit...By going out and teaching other people of all nations, a new religion was being started...This new religion would be called Christianity and its Principal Figure is Jesus Christ, who was teaching about God from a Judaism foundation and Judaism perspective...This new religion of Christianity was based on Jesus and His teachings...This new religion is based on Truth, who happens to be the Absolute Truth and is and was a Person...A Person who none of the other religions have...He is Unique...It is only Jesus who came to earth for sinners...It is only Jesus who offers salvation, forgiveness for our sins, and a Way to God...